{"id":1230,"date":"2014-10-17T08:54:10","date_gmt":"2014-10-17T15:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogadmin.plantlust.com\/blog\/?p=1230"},"modified":"2024-01-24T06:20:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T14:20:03","slug":"concordia-neighborhood-making-its-acquaintance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantlust.com\/blog\/gardens\/concordia-neighborhood-making-its-acquaintance\/","title":{"rendered":"Concordia Neighborhood: Making its Acquaintance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before we moved to Flamingo Park, I\u2019d been focused primarily on living in the new environs\u2014what it would be like to be in a different house and not know every inch of the garden. It was so hard to imagine leaving our\u00a0home of 33 years\u2014in an area I\u2019d been walking for 25 years, where I recognized almost everyone I encountered, and they recognized me. I knew the time and distance of every route. What was in bloom where. Which\u00a0fruit laden shrubs were Cedar Waxwings favorites. I fully expected to miss it all\u2014my great neighbors, who put up with me planting things in their yards; Beaumont Market, aka 5 p.m. Gossip Central; the fabulous and funny women at The Arrangement, gems, the lot.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

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But I\u2019m happy to report, though\u00a0I still think of my familiar haunts, I don\u2019t exactly pine for\u00a0them. It\u2019s just different now. And the best part, I hadn\u2019t even begun to appreciate how much I\u2019d love exploring a brand new neighborhood.<\/p>\n

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Well, essentially brand new, but in truth, I grew up a mile and a half from here; I sometimes wonder if I\u2019m inching my way back to my childhood home.<\/p>\n

A good\u00a0grade-school friend lived a few blocks from where we are now, in a ’58\u00a0ranch (built the same year as our “new” house,) complete with gym, sauna, and swimming pool. The daylight party room was like stepping into the Alibi Tiki Lounge<\/a> on N. Interstate. In fact, her dad created the Polynesian themed Alibi, and at the same time, remodeled their party room to be its twin. The Alibi still exists in all its former glory, and is well worth a visit.<\/p>\n

As a kid, I didn\u2019t think much about houses and gardens; but even then, I recognize their place as special. They had a landscaper, for Pete\u2019s sake.<\/em> I\u2019d never even heard of such a thing. Those huge\u00a0conifers in the background, part of that landscaping job. (Note to landscapers: consider ultimate size.)<\/p>\n

\"Alibi<\/a>
Alibi Owners’ Ranch built in 1958<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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There are so many new things to see in this neighborhood, so many directions to walk, I can\u2019t even begin to stick to a system. I go out with my ten-year-old Chow Chow Pumpkin (still contesting me to see who’s the boss,) thinking I\u2019ll focus on just trees. Or that I\u2019ll photograph the gardens at Concordia University, and not get distracted.<\/p>\n

\"Concordia_miscanthus_Pumpkin_6570\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But then I note an alley running thru an adjoining block, taking me back again to childhood memories of endless play, Kick the Can, Red Rover, Hide-N-Seek. And just\u00a0when I think I\u2019m back on track, a clever planter box turns my head. Or I stumble across a cinder block planted with Sempervivums, or an undulating Rosemary wafting with scent.\u00a0And don’t get me started on\u00a0McMenamins Kennedy School. Even the hellstrips are magnificent, with Acer Griseums<\/a> and Miscanthus Sinensis<\/a> lining the south side, a lovely pairing, and an all\u00e9e of caramel fragranced Cercideiphyllum japonicum<\/a>\u00a0to the east.<\/p>\n\n\t\t